Tag Archives: creative partner spotlight

Creative Partner Jenny Hitesman

Jenny Hitesman, Beets Hospitality {Creative Partner Spotlight}

We’re back with another Creative Partner Spotlight! Event managers can make or break your big day, and we’re lucky to know some of the best in the industry. So today, we’re chatting with Jenny Hitesman, the event manager for Beets Hospitality Group who oversees all the happenings at Palm Event Center & Casa Real. 

Without further ado, we’ll let Jenny take it from here!

event manager for Beets Hospitality Group

Tell us a bit about your professional background. What brought you to the event industry?

There are many people who say they were raised in the hospitality industry, but not many can say that they grew up working for one company. I live and breathe weddings and events, and I love getting to run them for the place I love! I knew I loved the weekend job that I worked through High School & College, but little did I know that it would turn into a life-long career. I met my husband here; I’ve made great friends through the years and love what I do.

What do you love about your job?

The interactions with both clients and peers bring me overwhelming amounts of joy. I almost feel just as excited for each client’s big day as they are, sometimes more. I’ve harbored some great friendships with both peers and past clients through my time in the industry. I can honestly say there hasn’t been a person in this industry I haven’t had a positive experience.

If you could share one wedding planning tip with an engaged couple, what would you tell them?

Just have fun. Don’t sweat the small stuff. While, yes, every detail matters, don’t forget the “why.” Don’t forget the sole purpose for all the stresses that come with the wedding planning process. Ultimately, you are preparing to celebrate your love.

Event managers are there with you from beginning to end, and Jenny is exceptional at bringing clients’ dreams to life. Want to get in touch with Beets? You can start here! 

Lauren Feddersen Photography

Lauren Feddersen of Lauren Feddersen Photography {Creative Partner Spotlight}

For today’s Creative Partner Spotlight, allow us to present Lauren Feddersen of Lauren Feddersen Photography and we are so excited to share her enthusiasm with you! Lauren’s passion for the wedding industry is infectious. 

Lauren Feddersen Photography

Tell us a bit about your professional background. What brought you to the event industry?

I had always had a passion for the arts and I was always that friend who had a little point-and-shoot camera ready to capture anything. The summer after I graduated high school, I took anniversary photos of my parents and posted them on Facebook. I found out how powerful word of mouth is and the rest is history! I shot my first wedding in college – I was hooked and I knew I wanted to continue this exciting journey of photography!

What do you love about your job?

I take pride in the relationships I am able to build with my clients and I truly hope we can make our relationship something special! What excites me the most about what I do is the connections that I get to make with my clients and their families. Not only do I get to be present for these monumental occasions, but I also have the rare opportunity to commemorate those snippets of life in a way that will last a lifetime! To me, seeing that smile on a client’s face during the shoot or knowing that they are head over heels for their pictures afterward is what makes it all worth it!

If you could share one wedding planning tip with an engaged couple, what would you tell them?

Find vendors that you connect with! Your wedding day is going to go by in a flash and having vendors that you’re comfortable with can make a world of difference!

Lauren is always a pleasure to work with, and we are confident you will find the same experience with her! Be sure to check her out on Instagram at @_lfedphoto and give her a follow!

Creative Partner Jinger Lenoard-Norton

Jinger Leonard-Norton, The Flower House {Creative Partner Spotlight}

In this edition of the Creative Partner Spotlight, we’re thrilled to present The Flower House! We love interviewing local vendors and our friends at The Flower House are no different. 

So without further ado, allow us to introduce you to the owner, Jinger Leonard-Norton! 

Creative Partner Jinger Lenoard-Norton

Tell us a bit about your professional background. What brought you to the event industry?

Growing up I LOVED weddings, everything about them, and was planning on becoming a wedding planner. With the pressure of outside influences, I went into the corporate world for 15 years and hated everything about it. I did a lot of soul searching and turned toward my original passion. I took a chance and created Romantic Moments a wedding planning service. My company worked with The Flower House with a bride and began a relationship with the owner. Within a few months and lots of cocktails, I became the owner of The Flower House in October 2005. I knew nothing about flowers but what I loved was weddings and the designs became my true passion.

What do you love about your job?

I love helping brides articulate what their wedding will look like to reflect their personality. When the lightbulb goes off and then they can finally see what they have been struggling with. I also love a challenge and force myself to always look for new ways of creating a look. I also love working with my daughter Michaela. Having her to bounce ideas off of and having her support is what I call a beautiful blessing.

If you could share one wedding planning tip with an engaged couple, what would you tell them?

Trust your gut and stop overthinking things. I see my brides drive themselves crazy trying to make decisions. If you go with your gut feelings, get out of your head, and trust your vendor things will be fantastic and a true reflection of you. Also, change your linens!!!

Everyone needs a vendor who cares about them as much as Jinger cares about all of The Flower House’s clients. If you’re planning a wedding or simply love blooms, be sure to follow them at @theflowerhouse_ca!

Hopefully, you’re lucky enough to bump into Jinger, but if not, we hope you carry the words of wisdom with you as you plan your big day! 

 

Laura Ahmed, LC Floral Design {Creative Partner Spotlight}

There are few things that transform an event space more than some gorgeous floral arrangements. (OK, lighting is up there too!) This week, we’re talking to Tri-Valley florist, Laura Ahmed of LC Floral Design, to learn more about her story.

Let’s see what Laura has to say about her experience as the owner of LC Floral Design!

Laura Ahmed, LC Floral Design | Livermore floral design

Tell us a bit about your professional background. What brought you to the event industry?

Ever since college, I have always had a love for events! I intially wanted to work in the hotel world planning events but life had different plans for me and I started my own floral business. It was the best decision I made!

What do you love about your job as the owner of LC Floral Design?

There are a lot of things I love about my job. One of my favorite things though is creating. It is so much fun to get my hands dirty to create something that is so beautiful that makes you step back and go WOW! I love to create floral moments that will keep people talking for a lifetime. I also love the relationships I build with my clients, some of them have become close friends and I am forever grateful for that.

If you could share one wedding planning tip with an engaged couple, what would you tell them?

Hire an event planner! They add so much value to the planning process and help take off some of the stress that may arise when planning. They also play a key role on the day of your wedding, making sure everything is in place and running smoothly!

If you’re looking for an expert florist for your Tri-Valley wedding, be sure to reach out to Laura — she’s sure to bring your vision to life!

adam clark

Adam Clark, Adam J. Clark Photography {Creative Partner Spotlight}

This week, we’re highlighting the owner and lead photographer of Adam J. Clark Photography… Adam Clark, himself!

You may recognize Adam’s name from the gorgeous photos of his that we’ve shared on our blog and social media. He’s truly a visionary behind the lens, and we love collaborating with him to bring our clients’ events to life!

Let’s see what Adam Clark has to share!

adam clark

Tell us a bit about your professional background. What brought you to the event industry?

I have long had a passion for art, specifically photography. When I was young I was fascinated by my Grandfather’s Nikomat camera. My closest childhood friend’s father had what I thought was the coolest camera and case. I loved all the gear and gadgets that went into creating images with a camera.

As a little kid, I recall having an old Kodak Brownie in my toy collection and then on my 8th birthday I received a Kodak Instamatic. To be honest I believe I may have been a little disappointed. I had a camera, it was old, but I had one I think I was lobbying more for a BB gun on that birthday. However this gift turned out to inspire me.

Years later my father sold the family station wagon and took the proceeds and purchased my family’s first 35 mm camera. That did it, I was hooked! I took that camera everywhere and probably cost my father a ton in film and processing taking images of anything and everything. Then came time for my senior portraits, something that I had looked forward to for years. This is what turned my interest to portraiture. I loved the whole process.

After graduating high school I attended college thinking I would one day work towards an engineering degree. This seemed like a logical idea. In reality I wanted to be a photographer but in my head I thought, “That’s not a job, it’s a fantasy. Being a photographer isn’t a career it’s a hobby. Being an engineer, that’s a career.” I was right and wrong, being a photographer is a fantasy and not a real job, but it is a career. It is the fantasy, non-real job, that has been my career for nearly 25 years!

Anyway, after college I attended the Art Institute of Seattle and I earned a degree in Commercial Photography. After graduation I was fortunate to find a part-time job with a local photo studio, Crawford’s Photography in Redmond, WA. Here I learned my craft, and my passion for photography and portraiture grew. I was able to meet wonderful people that turned into fantastic clients and friends. I was given the opportunity to get to know and document their lives through my portraiture. I have clients that I photographed as babies, then high school seniors, then weddings and then their babies. It is a mind-blowing experience that I so very much cherish! I went on to run, manage and eventually own the Studio. This was my only job, career, fantasy until I started Adam J. Clark Photography.

In my down time I love spending time with my dog, visiting with family and friends around the country, SCUBA diving, running, skiing, hiking and staying fit. I also very much love to visit Hawaii, and live the Aloha spirit. Currently I am based out of Livermore, CA. However I am available on the Big Island of Hawaii. Again, thank you so much for visiting my web site. I hope we have the opportunity to meet and I hope you will consider me for all your portrait and photographic needs. I love what I do and I am dedicated to making your portraits a unique and special work of art, worthy of viewing by future generations.

What do you love about your job?

I love meeting people, making them happy and being exposed to different cultures and traditions.

If you could share one wedding planning tip with an engaged couple, what would you tell them?

Be on time and listen to the professionals. We are here to help take advantage of our knowledge, that more than one I know LOL

We are big Adam Clark fans at Fantasy Sound and we’re always looking forward to the next time we get to work with him. Cheers to you, Adam!

Marlene Fahrenkrog | Beets Hospitality Group

Marlene Fahrenkrog, Beets Hospitality {Creative Partner Spotlight}

We’re bringing back our Creative Partner Spotlight series and showing some love to our fellow industry professionals! First up, we’re shining a well-deserved light on Marlene Fahrenkrog, the Executive Director of Sales for Beets Hospitality Group.

Beets Hospitality is the exclusive event management and catering company for two of our favorite venues, Palm Event Center in the Vineyard and Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery.

Without further ado, here is a bit about Marlene!

Marlene Fahrenkrog | Beets Hospitality Group

Tell us a bit about your professional background. What brought you to the event industry?

Worked in the hotel industry for 26 years and wanted to learn something new!

What do you love about your job?

I love the team at Beets the most – we call ourselves Beets Peeps. 🙂 I also love our clients and the amazing events that come together with all of their creativity shining through!

If you could share one wedding planning tip with an engaged couple, what would you tell them?

Be true to yourselves in all decisions you make during the planning process. This is your big day and everything should be focused on the two of you and what makes you happy!

Marlene is a delight to work with and we appreciate her commitment to fulfilling clients’ event visions. Cheers to you, Marlene!

What Has Casey Hahn of Palm Event Center Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Casey Hahn of The Palm Event Center

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? All the additional puppy cuddles, time with my hubby, and getting creative in the kitchen! I’ve also been following all of the “quarantine trends” — I have yet to make banana bread or create geometric chalk art though! But my paint-by-number is really coming along!

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? Not seeing family and friends, cancelled baseball games and two baby showers for my Godson and my first nephew has really been a bummer.

How have you been spending your time? Beside Netflix and chilling… taking lots of walks, committing to live online workouts, working on my tan in the backyard, and listening to music.

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? Kawa Sushi is always my first go-to, but recently I’ve been craving some Taco Bell 😊

What have you been binge watching? Besides Tiger King, I’ve been Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Beverly Hills Housewives, and American Idols.

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Looking at a different 4 walls! HA!

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? Easter and my Sister-in-Law’s birthday were both celebrated by Zoom chats with family and ‘cheers’ from afar.

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? I am looking forward to Rachel Hollis’ Rise Conference this weekend! It is all about leadership and understanding a growth mindset. As soon as my paint-by-number is done I am looking forward to getting started on more scratch art! It’s like scratching a lottery ticket, just with no money at the end and instead you are left with a cool picture.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Looking forward to seeing all of our couples AND vendors when we can convene again!

What Has Patricio Angulo of Oyé Productions Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Patricio Angulo of Oyé Productions! 

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? All the family time!

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? All work cancelled for the foreseeable future, and the poorly executed SBA/EDD disaster of a system for financial aid.

How have you been spending your time? A mix of family time, major yard work (fallen tree and building a veggie garden), and re-hauling the office and music room. For the latter, I’m making it video friendly with pro audio gear and starting to build a recording music studio!

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? We’ve been enjoying all home cooked meals!

What have you been binge watching? American Horror Story and Schitt’s Creek. Highly recommend both!

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Playing live music for audiences- I miss it desperately!

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? Not yet! Our birthdays are September through November, so we’ll see…hopefully we will be back to celebrating in person by then!

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Turning my black thumb into a green one! Once my studio is more functional, I will learn more about being a legit recording engineer. My other plan is to also start some major video editing work. Lots to keep busy with!

What Has Janan Ali of The Club at Ruby Hill Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Janan Ali of The Club at Ruby Hill

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? Spending quality time with my family has been a blessing! I have been savoring the additional hours I have, usually spent commuting, to enjoy the simple things in life. I am always running out the door to the next event on my calendar and to have the time to sit back and take a breath has been amazing, although tough to get used to. I have also been working on house projects and organizing things at home which would have never gotten done otherwise!

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? I have always enjoyed filling my schedule with all kinds of activities and it has been tough to slow down and not be able to hang out with friends and spend time with my nieces who I adore! The fear of a hug or hand shake takes a toll on you after awhile. Working from home has also been an adjustment and I miss seeing my co workers and clients on a daily basis. I am big on traveling and it has been hard to cancel all the planned trips we had this year.

How have you been spending your time? I keep my sanity with the gym every morning! I am lucky enough to have a boyfriend with a gym in his garage so we have been keeping a strict workout schedule 5-6 days a week. He is my motivation and we have come to enjoy being workout partners! We were supposed to fly to Arizona in April for the annual 4.2 mile Pat’s Run for the Pat Tillman Foundation, when our trip was cancelled we did our own run instead! I have also been busy working with clients to navigate through this unknown time and trying to provide them with some sort of comfort and hope that their weddings and events will go on! It has been fulfilling to see the educational courses provided through WIPA and WeddingPro and how other vendors in our industry are handling the situation and creative ideas.

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? I have been trying to cook more as I have always loved cooking but found it hard to find the time to do it. Learning new recipes and testing them out on the fam has been fun! Once a week I order from The Club at Ruby Hill as we have a fabulous To Go Menu weekly. Our culinary team creates family meals as well as drink specials. My favorite so far was the Taco Joint menu with delicious margaritas made by our one and only Membership Coordinator Camille. They really brighten up my week!

What have you been binge watching? Tiger King of course! Addicting and so very strange, you just can’t stop watching. Also, Ozark is a great one!

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? My niece Lilyana’s 3rd birthday was on 4/6. Although her party was cancelled we tried our best to make her celebration special. We dropped off gifts at the house and she opened her presents and we sang Happy Birthday on Facetime. She didn’t quite understand why we couldn’t just come over!

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Celebrating happy occasions with my clients is something I miss a great deal. Also, meeting up with friends and celebrating all the milestones in their lives. I LOVE to travel and hope to continue my bucket list of travel destinations.

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? I have accomplished the Koala Challenge on Tik Tok which is not an easy task and I am currently learning how to paint a garage floor. I will let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

What Has Cherie Marini of Pleasanton Rentals Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Cherie Marini of Pleasanton Rentals

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? Finding that even though we’re apart, family and friends WANT to see each other….so I learned every video chat connecting platform I could haha

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? I miss PEOPLE! Casual Starbucks hangout time, Target-browsing, Girls’ Nights Out have been suspended until further notice ::sob::

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? Does Starbucks or Peets count as a Restaurant? If so, then them!

What have you been binge watching? The news….(I just admitted that)

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Interacting with PEOPLE again and seeing -hopefully- smiles instead of masks 🙂

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Video chat… that is all I could handle lol

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? I had the 5th anniversary of my 30th birthday JUST before the quarantine so I lucked out! The kid down the street from me turned 18 and there was a drive-by parade which was so nice!

How have you been spending your time? When I’m not working, I’m spending time with family/quarantine-mates, GETTING OUTSIDE IN NATURE everyday, puzzling, and 0.01% of my time is dedicated to all the organizing projects I swore I’d do in spare time

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Through all this, it’s been a great “faith in humanity restored” moment to see a lot of people still want to connect and they’ll go through any means to 🙂 FaceTimes, Zooms, etc. people genuinely WANT to see and check in with each other 🙂 Very promising as a vendor in the event/social industry where we center our business around people getting together, connecting and having a good time.

What Has Karey Ronnow of Hazy Lane Photography Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Karey Ronnow of Hazy Lane Studios

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? Baking and making fresh pasta! Both require time, which I’ve got quite a bit of these days!

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? Postponements of weddings – makes me so sad for my couples. I’m happier when I’m working.

How have you been spending your time? Helping my kids and my students (teacher here too) navigate distance learning. We’ve also watched all of the Marvel movies in chronological order.

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? Sauced. Peasant and the Pear. Mexxis. Pizza Bello. No chains! Only family owned businesses with big tips!

What have you been binge watching? Marvel Movies! Tiger King! Better Call Saul! Ozark!

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? WORKING! I’m a big introvert-extrovert. I LOVE being home, but I love being social (in limited quantities of course).

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Nope! All the time in the world, but no time for that! LOL My girls (9 and 12) are learning to play the guitar though, so it’s been fun to experience that through them.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? I just want to go to Disneyland!

What Has Kara Andrews of Casa Real Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Kara Andrews of Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? Enjoying lunch every day with my husband and son.

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? Not seeing family and friends…I sure miss those cocktail hours!

How have you been spending your time? Remotely working and helping my Kindergartener navigate online schooling. A huge shoutout to all of the teachers out there!

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? Taqueria la Mexicana

What have you been binge watching? Schitt’s Creek and Ozark

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Drinking and eating out with family and friends; traveling; socializing!! You name it and I’m looking forward to it!

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? For my brother-in-law’s birthday, the family did a Zoom meeting cocktail hour to celebrate. For once, we were not allowed to talk over one another!

What Has Jill Victor of On The Vine Catering Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Jill Victor of On the Vine Catering! 

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? It’s been pretty rough, but the lack of traffic has been quite the surprise perk!

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? Having to furlough our team. We’re a family at On the Vine so having to do that was incredibly difficult.

What have you been binge watching? Ozark

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Canva and Avery Label Making. Getting my graphic design on!

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? We love ordering from Posada! But did you also know that we’re providing pick up and heat menus here at On the Vine? Here’s some of our latest options!

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Having a regular work schedule and welcoming our team back.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? I hope everyone is healthy and staying safe. If we all follow the guidelines maybe we can get back to normal quicker!

What Has Tylar Delegeane of Tylar Delegeane Photography Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Tylar Delegeane of Tylar Delegeane Photography! 

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? I’ve been loving the time I’ve spent with my husband and our pets! We have a dog, six cats and eight chickens (a small farm, I know) so it’s been so great to spend quality time with them.

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? I really miss working and seeing my family. I miss being outside and photographing all of my wonderful couples, laughing with them and hearing their stories. Social distancing is so tough!

How have you been spending your time? I’ve been cooking a lot more, working in our garden, reading my (very large) pile of books and coloring! I haven’t thought about coloring since I was a little girl, it’s so much fun and so relaxing.

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? We live in San Leandro – home of some of the best taquerias – so we’ve been loving supporting our favorites including Los Pericos, Guadalajara Market and Tacos el Gordo!

What have you been binge watching? Friends and Gilmore Girls – hands down. All day, every day.

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? I can’t WAIT to photograph a wedding! I miss all of my couples so much and my heart hurts for them through all of these postponements. It’s been rough, but it’ll be so sweet when we can all celebrate again.

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? I haven’t personally, but I love seeing all of the sweet birthday parades that others are posting about on social media. It always brings a smile to my face!

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? ….does figuring out exactly how long to cook the perfect chocolate chip cookie count? Ha!

What Has Joie Thongsavath of Simple Joie Photography Been Doing In Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Joie Thongsavath of Simple Joie Photography! 

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? Being able to connect with people I have not been able to because of “work”.

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? Not being able to take long drives to no where.

How have you been spending your time? Working on submissions to publications, backend website things, and creating content!

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? New York Pizza in Pleasanton. Yum!

What have you been binge watching? Locke and Key

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Shooting weddings again (or shooting anything for that matter!)

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? My husband turned 40 and we baked him a cake.

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? I learned to sew!

Is there anything else you’d like to add? It’s weird to observe the community slowing down but oddly satisfying to know that pollution has gone down.

What Has Jinger Leonard-Norton of The Flower House Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Jinger Leonard-Norton of The Flower House! 

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? I have my children home with me! I would be pretty upset if I knew I could not take care of them. I have been having fun connecting to my daughter more than just business. I am also excited as I have wanted to remodel my back yard for 10 years and we made it a family project. We took out two trees, fixed the sprinklers in the lawn, and are building raised planter boxes to grow my own vegetables. I am not sure how it is going to go as I am not the best gardener!

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? I struggle with the gym! That is really the only thing that is frustrating as I was working out so hard and dieting for my wedding… then I stopped. The weight is pouring on and feel horrible but mentally challenged about working out by myself, no music, etc… And I miss going out to dinner and alone time with my new husband Barry.

How have you been spending your time? I am feeling really blessed to have the time to work on my business. Updating the website, our brochure, organizing our photos, creating templates, resetting a lot of items for work. I have also participated in every educational webinar available. So thrilled about learning items to make me rethink a few things and reinvent and pivot my business. Remodeling the backyard, walking the dogs and cooking a million meals. I have also become a great bartender!

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? We have 5 adults in the house, so I have been mainly cooking to keep costs down. We have splurged on Strings, Strizzies, Brunos, Anitas.

What have you been binge watching? All American, Tiger King, Love is Blind, and Disney Fairytale Weddings

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Michaela and I have discovered Tik Tok! I have always worried what people thought of me and this silly app has helped me realize that I want to have fun, create memories with my daughter, and show my clients and vendors I know how to laugh at myself and not take everything so seriously. I guess I am relaxing as I mature!

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? My daughter’s fiancée Connor celebrated his birthday on April 11, we surprised him with a Flemings steak dinner, baked a cake and at 8 pm a surprised Zoom call with all of his family and friends to sing Happy Birthday and finished off with a fire pit and cocktails. He was extremely emotional, and said it was one of the birthdays ever!

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? I really love my job, creating beautiful things, pushing my limits and having work for my employees that I love so much. Going out to dinner and our Sunday Brunches, wine tasing, lunch with my girlfriends, I love taking care of me, so hair and nails are the first things that will happen.

Is there anything else you’d like to add? I am appreciative of the opportunity to rest, reset and prioritize my life. As I am dying to get back to work, I know I will not go back to the same way as I lived it so for that I say Thank You.

What Has Ann Ogden of Wente Vineyards Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Ann Ogden of Wente Vineyards! 

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? My favorite part has been getting out in nature more. I was enjoying cooking at first but now I am ready to go out to a restaurant!

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine?My son is a senior and watching him miss out on so many experiences has been heartbreaking.

How have you been spending your time? Well…I have stripped and stained my deck (something I’ll never do again), cooking, taken my dog on more walks and hikes than imaginable, touched up all the walls with paint, and power washed everything possible.

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? We have been ordering from our favorite Japanese restaurant Meiko.

What have you been binge watching? Embarrassing but Love is Blind and Too Hot to Handle

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Seeing friends and family in a normal setting

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? Not yet but my husband’s is coming up on the 5th. Don’t think he would be down with the whole parade thing, so I’ll need to come up with something!

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Staining a deck and dog grooming 🙂

What Has Jennifer Franklin of The Club at Ruby Hill Been Doing in Quarantine?

This is a part of our Creative Partner Spotlight: Quarantine Edition series, where we show you what our creative partners from all around the Bay Area have been up to during quarantine. Today, we’re checking in with Jennifer Franklin of The Club at Ruby Hill! 

What has been your favorite part about quarantine? Spending more time with my family on weekends has been great. So many weekends are spent at events that this recharge is much needed.

What has been your least favorite part about quarantine? Not being able to come and go places as I please. With a crazy work schedule due to events, I try to find pockets of time. This has been the hardest because I enjoy outdoor hikes and beaches and many places are closed or are risky. Staying safe is top priority for me, my family, and for others.

How have you been spending your time? Soaking up webinars to stay better informed and continued education in the event industry. My favorite thus far has been from Rachel Sheerin, cause that girls always brings her A+ game. There was also a great one on Venues hosted by WeddingPro, which spoke specifically to my arena of expertise. Even with 20 years in the industry I can say nothing like this has rocked us so hard for what the new norm will be, so I want to make sure I am a leader in the pack instead of a follower.

What are your favorite local restaurants to order take out from? As a dining establishment ourselves and offering to go services, I order weekly from The Club at Ruby Hill. It a way to see the team and also support my company who is continuing to support me and also our community with the launch of GrubHub offerings too. The culinary team has a family coursed meal each week for $15-20 per person plus weekly specials on other food and drinks. Camille is our Ah-mazing club relations manager and also makes some fun and wonderful cocktail crafts to go!

What have you been binge watching? I’m really into time period series like The Last Kingdom, The Witcher, Outlander, The White & Spanish Princess. But I am currently fully caught up on all these and not sure what to watch next. I love movies and just watched 1917. It was a little bizarre because I only knew the era and actually watched it on April 6th, which unbeknownst to me was an important date in the film…was the universe telling me something?!

What are you looking forward to most when all of this is over? Reconnecting with clients, vendors, and having a new appreciation for the new sense of normalcy. I know we all want this but the new sense of normalcy is going to be an adjustment for most so I am trying to embrace this and think ahead of how these connections are best for others first then myself.

Have you celebrated a birthday or event during quarantine? How did you do it? Yes, my daughter’s half birthday was in April. We always do a small cake and video/sing the Very Merry Unbirthday Song from Alice and Wonderland. This year we did get her some new earrings, and we normally don’t do gifts for half birthdays, but why not put a extra smile on her face this year.

Have you learned any new skills during quarantine? Homeschooling my kids sounds simple enough, but asking a 3rd & 4th grader to go about their day as you and I do is tough. These are uncertain times and little ones have the same concerns we do but they lack the skills fully to express them. I try to spend time with each of them when I’m not on a call or video conference assisting with homework. Patience has been a great skill for this, but I am Italian so don’t get me wrong… there are moments!

Is there anything else you’d like to add? I have always enjoyed sharing my expertise with others. There has been a few times I have been a panel speaker or spoken at our own hosted events. This time has me thinking more and more about continuing this path/passion on a small scale and two topics have been on my mind. They keep me up at night, I brainstorm thoughts and phrases and doodle them down. Maybe this time will push me to pursue this with a blog or something. This is not self serving, as I have no interest to turn a profit from it, just to share what so many of my peers have helps me with over my 20 year career to share with others a little light and a few laughs with it. Stay tuned!